My new tank setup. Opinions wanted

[cdemeritt]

Hello Everyone,
It has been some time since I last posted. Been very busy with many things. Well after two years of thoughs and planning, I finally built myself a new tank stand. It is not yet complete, but is functional. the rest is cosmetic at this point. I still need to make the doors that'll hide the plumbing.



The stand incorperates 3 'fuges and the main tank. With various flowrates though the different tanks. 'fuge 1 is a shallow 3"deep 16"X32" Tray that gets about 100-150GPH flow. This dumps into 'fuge 2 and then into the main tank. Pump 2 is a 600GPH pump that goes directly to the main tank. Then all the water flows into 'fuge 3 then to the skimmer then the sump.



Lighting. the main tank gets 80w of various spectrums of NO flourecent light for 10hrs a day with a 5 hr period of 175w 6500k metal halide lighting.

'fuge 1 has 2 48" 40w NO flourecent lights. not the best for much, but is enough for the chealomopha to produce airbubbles. part of the reason I wanted high surface area and very shallow.

'fuge's 2 and 3 will have low lighting of about 20 to 40w.



Waterflow inside the main tank is fairly high, with 700GHP flowthough the tank and 4 internal powerheads of various strenghts. The flow patterns can be seen above. PH1 and PH2 are on the same time cycle as the main lights and shut off at night. PH3 and PH4 are on 24hrs. PH1 and PH2 are directed though th main water colume while PH3 and PH4 are ment to circulate the water at the base of the rocks.

Livestock: Current and planned.

currently I have a alantic rock flower anemone (for two years now)
Stripped mushrooms (3 years)
Green Star Poylps (2 years)
Ricordea rock (6 years)
1 mexican turbo snail (3 years)
royal unchin (3 years)
New additions: added two weeks ago.
Pulsing xenia
Capnella Tree coral
12 red legged hermits
10 margenta snails
1 emeral crab
tomato clown
1 yellow tail dambsel fish

The overall plan is to stick with the soft corals, they are a little more forgiving of my bad habit of neglecting the tank for months at a time. Eventually The damsel will go into one of the 'fuges, (which one, is the ?) 'fuge's 2 and 3 still don't have any solid plans for yet.
I have read that my rock flower anemone isn't supposed to host clowns, but apparently no one has told my tomato clown yet. it seems to have taken to it dispite the occasional stings.

Anything else I should concider?
Chris

[110galreef]

Honestly...i don't like the setup.....but that is me. Why such a complex sytem? No offense!

What are you trying to accomplish ......enlighten me!

[afbengochea]

same here .... Im a bit confused as to why so complicated. I mean the more water volume the better but I dont know why so many fuges

[r6413utah]

HE IS HOOKED!! Look man use to sit out on a hill and gaze at the vally and the next hill wondering what is on the other side of the next hill. Then the TV came along and gave us exploration at our finger tips. Then something happens that PC, TV, MOVIES just don't do, they allow us to explore with out prediction. No matter what you do when its hand on and looks preditable and something diffent happens one of two things happen. Either you get fustrated or you get curious and thus the exploration starts. There is more exploration on that one wall of tanks, math , physics, biology, art, machanics, theory every thing you could ask for , better then any drug and one of the more healthier stimulants.


Then you get diaged with OCD hehehehe You don't want options, you want to show your fire.. UG UG I make fire look at me. and actually I like the in wall thing I would like to do tht for my rot, Brine and pods, feeder tanks.

[110galreef]

Originally Posted by r6413utah

HE IS HOOKED!! Look man use to sit out on a hill and gaze at the vally and the next hill wondering what is on the other side of the next hill. Then the TV came along and gave us exploration at our finger tips. Then something happens that PC, TV, MOVIES just don't do, they allow us to explore with out prediction. No matter what you do when its hand on and looks preditable and something diffent happens one of two things happen. Either you get fustrated or you get curious and thus the exploration starts. There is more exploration on that one wall of tanks, math , physics, biology, art, machanics, theory every thing you could ask for , better then any drug and one of the more healthier stimulants.


Then you get diaged with OCD hehehehe You don't want options, you want to show your fire.. UG UG I make fire look at me. and actually I like the in wall thing I would like to do tht for my rot, Brine and pods, feeder tanks.

You totally lost me on that....Only thing I got was

Over-Compulsive-Disorder!

[r6413utah]

We are designed to explore, wether it was 500 years ago and we where sitting on a hill or today sitting in front of a TV with a remote in our hands, we are exploring, doing what you are doing in more of a exploration, and you want to show what you have done (i.e. craveman creating fire) so what i was trying to say is you do not really want options you want to show what your exploration has uncovered..

So far the options have been on the negative side because you asked us to objectify it. I am not looking at what it looks like I am looking at the time you spent creatinging it all the trials and tribulation of getting it to function. where you where looking more at function then the typical art of having to please the eye. the reaction you are going to get it kinda like someonebuild a car from scratch with very little body work. Most perople would say its ugly instead of say wholly crap you built a car from scatch, since you are not Henry Ford and we have all seen cars before its nothing new. But it looks like you have created everything from scratch and that is very respectable its funtional, it serv a purpose and may have been extreamnly dificult to work all the bugs out, help of an acomplishment

but you are only getting option on its looks....

[notatallhappygolucky]

I take it the black lines are the doors & hoods.

gotta give this guy props for that elaborate, functional design.

[110galreef]

That is why my post was two prong...1-I said I didn't care for the looks. I like very clean uncluttered looks. i don't want to see any more than the rock, coral and fish if possible.

2 -this is a very complex thing...so why? What is the point for this. i have yet to be enlightened. Still waiting!

It seems way overkill to have three fudges and have one dump into another then this way then that and have this pump move this volume of whater here while the other moves that to there etc.....

Obviously this guy has a plan and method behind this madness...I would like to know. I am interested, just don't like the appearance or care for the complexity. i never said it was wrong. Just not my style.

My tank setup may be ugly or "boring" to him......

[r6413utah]

ok, Happy ya sum'ed it up in a couple of words and I had to write a book. Now I definatly feel unfolded.

[notatallhappygolucky]

yours was good too.

[110galreef]

Originally Posted by happygolucky

I take it the black lines are the doors & hoods.

I figured that as well

[r6413utah]

I had a friend in College (yes despite my spelling, typing in the dark) that came up with a formula to help him with financing his car. He presented in class and the professor congradulated him on inventing the amoritization formula) even though someone else discoved it many years ago, he had done the same thing, so if the formula was never created he would have reated it.

I see the same thing as I compaired with the car built from scratch. If this was the 1950's what he has built would be cutting edge stuff in a lab somewhere. so I am commending him on the elaborate creation and the patients it took to build it from scratch vs. buying something off the shelf that does the work for you without a great under standing of the therory and machanics behind it.

[r6413utah]

I forgot effort, lot of effort in trials and tribulation in that setup. Did you actually guess and adjust the gravity and flow or did you work out the math (no cheating, if you did , I want to see the work notes), bet 20 buck you used stop watch and a measuing cup.

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by r6413utah

bet 20 buck you used stop watch and a measuing cup.

Ill take that bet if you give me 2 to 1.

this poor guy is going to come back and wonder what the heck is going on here.

Im interested in the hows and whys myself. I just LIKE complicated configurations...as long as the complication is over when youre done building it.

[Sprayin70]

I am very impressed with the time and efort it took to build the set up. I would like to read a function break down for the set up but great work!